Ozekhome tells NASS to veto Electoral act

Constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mike Ozekhome, has said President Muhammadu Buhari wants to rig the 2019 election as he his afraid of defeat in the Presidential election, that his why he has refused to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

It’s no news that for the third time now President Buhari has refused to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill

Buhari was said to have sent a letter to the National Assembly addressing the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara as to why he has refused to sign the bill. President Buhari said if he signs the bill it would cause “some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process.”

This has brought criticism to the Government from various quarters including other opposition parties.

Ozekhome said the refusal of the President to sign the bill would give the President a good environment to rig the election to his favour.

Ozekhome then urged the National Assembly to take minds now to getting the 2/3 majority votes so as to bypass the President as stated under section 58 of the 1999 Constitution.

Speaking with journalists, Ozekhome said, “Buhari is obviously afraid not just of defeat, but of routing in the next presidential election.

“His refusal is an unveiled and desperate attempt to foist on Nigerians, the grand electoral fraud and larceny of bazaar votes we witnessed in the North West, especially in Kano in 2015.

“Recall that the then Kano Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Returning Officer was burnt to death with his entire family as soon as the results were announced. Till date, no arrest has ever been made of the culprits who annihilated an entire family just so that a person will have power.

“That desperation has been lampooned again and again by Aisha, his very wife. The amendments were aimed at sanitizing and deodorizing the electoral process, enthrone integrity in it, transmit results automatically from the polling units to the announcement centres after parties representatives have signed and endorsed. This prevents rigging, especially after-count rigging when declared results are brazenly altered.

“How can any genuine democrat ever be against such auspicious amendments, if not for sinister purposes? All hope is not lost.

“The simple answer is for both Houses of Parliament, the National Assembly to muster 2/3 majority votes to override the President under section 58 of the 1999 Constitution.”